U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s controversial borrower-defense rule cleared one hurdle with President Trump’s veto Friday evening of a congressional resolution that would have undone it. But the rule, which would make it harder for borrowers to have their student debt forgiven if they were defrauded by their colleges, still faces a legal challenge before it is due to go into effect July 1.

Kacey Martinez was stunned when her Manhattan college abruptly shut its doors in 2017, leaving her with no degree and thousands of dollars in debt. “I didn’t know that things like that happened,” fumed the 24-year-old Bronx resident of the sudden demise of TCI College of Technology in Chelsea.

Senate Might Rebuke DeVos on Borrower Defense | Inside Higher Ed

February 28, 2020

For all of President Trump’s controversial policies, it has been rare for the Republican Senate to formally condemn the administration. But lobbyists on both sides of the debate over U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s borrower-defense rule say it’s increasingly possible that the Republican Senate could join the Democratic House in rebuking the administration over the rule critics say makes it harder for defrauded students to have their education loans forgiven.

Student Loan Borrowers Sue Betsy DeVos – Again | Forbes

February 26, 2020

Student loan borrowers have filed yet another lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over the Borrower Defense to Repayment program. Borrower Defense to Repayment was established in 2016 by the Obama administration. The program was created in the wake of the collapse of major for-profit colleges to provide student loan forgiveness for borrowers who were defrauded by their schools.

DeVos, DOE Sued for Borrower Defense Ruling Again | Holland Sentinel

February 20, 2020

Another group has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for the Department of Education’s reversal of an Obama-era borrower defense rule. The Project on Predatory Student Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group (PPSL) is suing the DOE in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the group announced in a press release on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

A New York public interest group on Wednesday sued U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in Manhattan federal court over a new rule that rolls back Obama-era protections for students who claim they were defrauded by colleges or universities. The lawsuit, filed by the Project on Predatory Student Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group on behalf of the New York Legal Assistance Group, aims to invalidate borrower defense regulations that would impose new requirements and procedural hurdles for students looking to cancel fraudulent loan obligations.

The New York Legal Assistance Group Plans to File a Lawsuit Blocking DeVos’ “Borrower Defense” Rule | Politico’s Morning Education

February 19, 2020

The group, which provides free legal help to low-income individuals, expects to file the lawsuit this morning in federal court in the Southern District of New York. NYLAG is represented by Harvard Law School’s Project on Predatory Student Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group, both of which successfully challenged DeVos’ efforts to delay the Obama-era “borrower defense” policy, forcing the 2016 rule to take effect.

Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos has trashed two key rules that the Department of Education, during the Obama administration, painstakingly developed to discourage for-profit colleges from deceiving and abusing their own students. With a new lawsuit filed today, advocates for students are now in court fighting to cancel both of the DeVos anti-rules and keep the previous Department regulations in place.

The Project is part of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (LSC), a community law office and clinical teaching site of the law school. Clinical students join the Project’s staff to litigate cases on behalf of clients, in partnership with community-based organizations and advocacy organizations.

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